If the absence of traditional powers UConn, Tennessee and Stanford caused would-be viewers not to watch Tuesday's women's national title game, those folks should be kicking themselves right now.

They missed a heck of a game.

Upstarts Texas A&M and Notre Dame waged a back-and-forth battle that had all the drama and shot-making the lackluster men's title game lacked 24 hours earlier. In the end, the second-seeded Aggies held off the Irish 76-70, parlaying their relentless pressure defense and superior interior scoring into their first championship in program history.

It's difficult to pinpoint one hero for Texas A&M because so many players combined to bring the title to a school that didn't even admit women until 1963.